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UN Selects MIIS As One of Nine Partner Schools Worldwide

November 10, 2009

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A new agreement between the United Nations and the Monterey Institute of International Studies signed Thursday is expected to expand internship and employment opportunities for current and future Institute students and graduates.

The memorandum of understanding (MOU), which outlines specific steps both organizations will take to expand cooperation in the training and future employment of translation and interpretation professionals, was signed Thursday morning in Monterey by UN Assistant Secretary General Franz Baumann and Institute President Sunder Ramaswamy. The Institute is one of only nine universities in the world with whom the UN has signed similar MOUs, and the only one in North or South America.

“It is an honor for the Institute to be recognized as a leader in training the translation and interpretation professionals who play essential roles in international organizations such as the UN,” commented President Ramaswamy. “We greatly appreciate the spirit of partnership behind this new agreement and look forward to seeing its future benefits accrue to both the UN and our very talented students.”

The new MOU notes that the UN has been “confronted with increasing shortages of qualified conference interpreters” and translators in recent years. The Institute’s translation and interpretation, conference interpretation, and translation and localization management degree programs have long been considered leaders in the field internationally.

“The UN and associated international agencies already employ a substantial number of Institute graduates in senior translation and interpretation positions,” noted Graduate School of Translation, Interpretation, and Language Education Dean Renee Jourdenais. “More than anything, what this agreement does is to ensure that as the international need for translators and interpreters continues to expand, the pipeline will continue to be filled with extremely well-prepared candidates.”